Rice University
Lake Truck Lines (Exhibition)
Lake Truck Hands Rice Women Exhibition Loss
11/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 4, 2006
Houston -
Valeriya Berezhynska scored a team-high 17 points and Lauren Neaves notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but Rice couldn't rally from a 15-point deficit with less than seven minutes left as the Owls dropped a 71-64 decision to Lake Truck in women's exhibition basketball Saturday at Autry Court.
Lake Truck, a traveling team made up of top former collegiate players from around the country, went on a 16-0 run midway through the second half to put the game out of reach. Former New Mexico star Chelsea Grear led all scorers with 19 points, and Massachusetts grad Katie Nelson popped in 18 on 4-4 shooting from the three-point line.
"I am disappointed in the outcome," said Rice head coach Greg Williams. "But I have to give a lot of credit to Lake Truck, as they played their fourth tough game in four days tonight. They showed a lot of heart."
Neaves scored 10 first-half points to pace the Owls to a 32-29 lead at the half, but cold shooting and defensive mistakes cost Rice in the second period. "We told our players that this Lake Truck squad was a second-half team," Williams said. "We didn't give ourselves enough of a cushion at the half. You can't give up long scoring runs on your home court and expect to win."
A Kadie Riverin layup cut the Lake Truck lead to three at 67-64 with 57 seconds left, but Nelson canned the last of her treys and added a late free throw to seal the win. Riverin finished with eight points and a team-best six assists.
One other bright spot for Rice was the return to action of senior guard Krystal Frazier, who suffered an Achilles injury in February. Frazier scored 11 points and grabbed four boards in 28 minutes.
As a team, the Owls shot only 36.1 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from the line, while Lake Truck knocked down 10 of 18 attempts from three-point range.
Rice opens regular-season play Friday in New Jersey at Monmouth University, and the Owls face Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J., next Sunday.
